ASA 125th Meeting Ottawa 1993 May

4aMU6. Perceptual organization of temporal patterns in music.

Annie H. Takeuchi

Res. Lab. of Electron., Rm. 36-747, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139

The temporal structure of music is based on meter, a hierarchical
structure in which each level consists of periodic alternation of strong and
weak pulses. This experiment examined the extent to which listeners have
internalized metrical hierarchies and use them to perceptually organize
temporal patterns. Musically experienced subjects rated how well probe tones
that varied in temporal location and in loudness (accent level) fit into simple
metrical contexts. Whereas Palmer and Krumhansl [J. Exp. Psychol: Human Perc. &
Perf. 16, 728--741 (1990)] reported that listeners rated such probe tones on
the basis of metrical location (whether they occurred on accented beats,
unaccented beats, or between beats), in this experiment, the accent level of
tones interacted with metrical location in determining probe tone ratings.
Accented probe tones were judged better fitting when they occurred on accented
beats than on unaccented beats or between beats. Unaccented probe tones showed
the reverse pattern. Most subjects organized the patterns according to a
three-level hierarchy for triple meter and a four-level hieracrchy for
quadruple meter. [Work supported by NSF.]